Golf game apparatus



Dec. 11, 1928. 1,694,691

F. RENTZ GOLF GAME APPARATUS Filed NOV- 28, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l 115M02 lflanfgg 'eniz Dace N, 1928. 1,694,691 F. RENTZ GOLF GAME APPARATUS Filed Nov. 28, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Deco H, 1928. 1,694,691

F. RENTZ GOLF GAME APPARATUS Filed Nov. 28, 1927 5 Sheets-$heet 5 Patented Dec. 11, 1928. V

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK RENTZ, OF YANK'T'ON, SOUTH DAKOTA.

GOLF GAME APPARATUS.

Application filed November 28, 1927. Serial No. 236,163.

My invention has for its object the provision of a golf game apparatus and to this end it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referringto the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the golf game apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a View in horizontal section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, with some parts broken away and with the club in a different position;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of certain parts of the coin controlled mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a view partly in plan and partly in horizontal section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2; and i Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail view of the coin controlled mechanism.

The numeral 8 indicates a box-like casing, the top of which is in the form of a glass panel 9 comprising two sections spaced at their adjacent longitudinal edges to' leave a way 10 therebetween. At the ends of the way 10 are metal stop plates 11 secured to the casing 8.

Within the casing 8 and spaced below the panel 9 is a deck 12 covered with felt, preferably green, or other suitable material 13 and which deck affords a fairway. At one end ofthe fairway and at one side of the way 10 is a tee 14 in the form of an upright cylindrical plunger loosely mounted in a cylindrical shaft 15 formed cured in said casing. This shaft 15 extends through the bottom of the casing 8, deck 12 and felt 13. The tee 14 is provided witha radially extended stem 17 which projects outward of the casing 8 through a narrow vertical slot 18 formed in the casing 8 and block 16 and affords a hand piece. The tee 14 is yieldingly held raised by a vertically extended coiled spring 19 mounted in a vertical bore 20 in the block 16 with its upper end anchored to said block and its other end' attached to the stem 17 In the fairway are five holes 21 which extend completely through the deck 12 and are in a block 16 rigidly senumbered 1 to 5, inclusive. A ring of sandpaper 22 surrounds each hole 21, is set in an aperture therefor in the felt 13 and secured to the deck 12. A stop strip 23 extends around the boundary of the fairway to prevent a golf ball from stopping in a position so close to the walls of the casing 8 as to prevent the ballfrom being struck with a club when playing the game.

The bottom of the holes 21 are normally closed by a gate structure 24 in a compartment 25 in the casing 8 below the deck 12. This gate structure 24 is slidably mounted in bearings 26 on the under side of the deck 12. Stop pins 27 on the under side of the deck 12 limit the opening and closing movements of the gate structure 24. Acoin controlled rod 28 is provided for operating the gate structure 24.

The outer end portion of the operating rod 28 is extended outward of the casing 8 and folded upon itself to form a hand piece 29, said rod 28 and hand piece 29 being slidably mounted in bores in the casing 8 and this mounting of said rod and hand piece holds the rod 28 from turning on its longitudinal axis. The inner end portion of the operating rod 28 is slidably mounted in a bearing 30 on the casing 8.

On the inner end of the operating rod 24 is a depending jaw 31 in the form of a flat finger which normally extends through a co-operating depending, U-shaped jaw 32 on the gate structure 24 and is spaced therefrom. A coiled spring 33 anchored to a coin holder 34 and attached to the operating rod 28 yieldingly holds said rod retracted with the aw 31 extended through the jaws 32 and spaced therefrom to receive a coin 00 inserted into said holder through a coin slot 35 in the easin 8.

Obviously, before the coin m is inserted into the coin holder 34 between the jaws 31 and 32, the operating rod 28, by means of its hand piece 29 may be ulled outward against the tension of the spring 33 without operating the gate mechanism 24. When the hand piece 29 is released, the spring 33 will return the operating rod 28 and hand piece 29 to normal position. It will thus be seen that a person may operate the rod 28 without opening the gate mechanism. By inserting the coin a: into the coin holder 34 between the jaws 31 and 32, the operating rod 28 will be connected to the gate mechanism 24 and by pulling the operating rod 28 outward by means of the hand piece 29, the gate mechanism 24 may be operated to uncover the holes 21 and release the balls held therein. To close the gate mechanism 24 when the hand piece 29 is released, the operating rod 28 is provided with a radially extended abutment 36 that is yieldingly held in contact with the gate mechanism 24 by the spring 33.

. The engagement of the abutment 36 withthe shaft of which projects outward of r of the gate mechanism 24 also aifords a stop to, limit the return movement of the operatingrod 28 and its hand piece 29 by the spring A ball-return trough 37 is secured to the under side of the deck 12 within the compartment 25 and arranged to receive the balls 3 as they are released from the holes 21 by opening the gate mechanism 24. This return trough 37 is inclined from the block 16 and at its lower or discharge end portion is provided with anarrow neck for collecting the balls 3/ in a row, as shown in Fig. 6. A as sage 39 is formed in the block 16 for the escape of the balls g one at a time into the shaft 15 and onto the upper end of the tee 14 when in its lowermost position. The tee 14 when held raised by its spring 19, prevents the escape of the balls 3 from the neck 38 into the shaft 15, as best shown in Fig. 2.

By reference toFig. 1' it will be-noted that two of the holes 21 are located at each side way 10 and the fifth of said holes is located directly below said way. Extending longitudinally within the return trough 37 is a partition 40 for directing the balls y as they are precipitated from the holes 21 into the neck-38. When the coin a: is released from the jaws 31 and 32 the same drops into the compartment 25 and may be removed from the casing 8 through an opening at the opposite end of said casing from the tee 14 and which opening is normally closed by a lock-equipped door 41. Extendin into the casing 8 through the way 10 is a odub z, the

said casing and its head is of such size as to prevent the same from being removed from the casing 8 through the way 1 The game, sis-illustrated, provides for the playing of five holes of golf and there is a ball y for each hole, but, of course, any number of holes may beprovided. .At the time the game is finished there is a ball 3 in each hole 21 and the gate mechanism cannot be operated to release said balls. To release the balls y from the holes 21 so that a game may be played, a coin of the proper denomination is inserted through the coin slot 35 and into the coin hole 34 between the jaws 31 and 32 to connect the gate mechanism 24 to the operating rod 28. The operator then pulls outwardon the hand piece 29 to open the gate mechanism vand release -the balls y. This opening of the gate mechanism 24 allows the balls 1 to drop from the holes 21 into the trough 37 where they roll into the neck 39 and are stopped by the tee 14 which, atthis time, is yieldingly held raised by the spring 19. At the time the operator releases the hand piece 29, the operating rod 28 is returned to its retracted position by the spring 33 and at the limit of this movement the jaws 31 and 32 are opened and release the coin a: which drops intothe compartment 25 where it can be removed, as previously stated.

This retracting moement of the rod 28 by the engagement of its abutment 36 with the gate mechanism 24. moves said gale mechanism into a closed position, as shown by full lines in Fig. The operator, by means of the stem 17, depresses the tee 14 against the action of the spring 19 and allows the ball engaging said tee to roll on the top thereof. Pressure is then released on the stem 17 to allow the spring 19 to lift the tee and position the ball elevated thereby in a teeing position. The diameter of the tee 14 is such that only one ball can roll thereon at a time.

The operator, then, by means of the club 2, tries to put the ball on the tee in hole No. 1 with the least number of strokes. During this play, the hole 4 represents a hazard, when driving the ball, for hole No. 1 as it will be noted that this hole is almost in line between the tee 14 and hole N o. 1. The second ballis elevated by the tee 14 in a like manner and the operator tries to put the same in hole No. 2 with the least number of strokes. It will benoted that hole No. 5 is just out of line with hole No. 3 and represents a hazard when driving the third ball to hole No. 3. The fourth hole is relatively close to the tee-and the fifth hole is just beyond the same. The skill of the player, of course, depends on the least number of strokes required in placing all five balls in the holes Iprovided therefor. After the balls have all een placed in the holes, the apparatus cannot again be operated until a second coin is used to connect the gate mechanism 24 with the operating rod 28.

What I claim is: j

1. A golf game apparatus comprising a deck affording a fairway having holes extending through the deck, gate mechanism normally closing the holes for holding balls therein, means for operating the gate mechanism to release the held balls and means for returning the released balls to the fairway.

2. A golf game apparatus comprising a deck affording a fairway having holes extending through the deck, gate mechanism normally closing the holes for holding balls therein, means for operating the gate mechaatin the gate mechanism to release the held balls, means for collecting the released balls, and means for operating the tee to receive the collected balls one at a time and move the same into a teeing position onthe fairway.

4.- A golf game apparatus comprising a deck affording a fairway having holes extending through said deck, gate mechanism normally closing the holes for holding balls therein, means for operating the gate mechanism to release the balls, means for collecting the released balls, and means for elevating the collected balls one at a time and positioning the same in a teeing position on the fairnism to release the held balls,

I '.deck affording a fairway having way.

5. A golf game apparatus comprising a deck affording a fairway having holes extending through the deck, gate mechanism normally closing the holes for holding balls therein, means for operating the gate mecha nism to release the balls, a tee in the form of an elevator, and means for collecting the released balls and delivering the same one at a time onto the tee to be elevated thereby into the fairway in a teeing position.

6. A golf game apparatus comprising a deck affording a fairway having holes extending through the deck, gate mechanism normally closing the holes for holding balls therein, means for operating the gate mechaa ball-return trough below the deck, a tee in the form of an elevator normally holding the balls in the trough, said tee being operable to receive the balls one at a time from the trough and elevate the same into the fairway in a teeing position.

7. A golf game apparatus comprising a deck afiording a fairway having holes extending through the deck, gate mechanism normally closing the holes for holding balls tperein, means for operating the gate mechanism to release the held balls, a ball-return trough below the deck having a contracted neck at its delivery end portion for holding the balls in a row, a yieldingly held tee in the form of an elevator holding the balls in said neck, means forlowering the tee to release one of the balls onto the tee to be elevated thereby into the fairway-in a teeing position.

8. The structure defined in claim 4 in which the gate mechanism is yieldingly held closed.

9. A golf game apparatus comprising a holes exthrough the deck, gate mechanism norma y closing the holes for holding balls therein, means for operating the gate mechanism to release the held balls, a ball-return tending1 trough below the deck having a contracted neck at its delivery end portion for holding the balls in a row, a shaft below the deck and -extending therethrough and into which shaft said neck is arranged to discharge, a yieldingly held tee in the form of an elevator mounted in the shaft and normally closing the neck, means for lowering the tee to open the neck and allow a movement of the balls in said neck to position one thereof ontothe tee to be elevated thereby into the fairway in a teeing position.

10. A golf game apparatus comprising a casing, a deck in the casing affording a fairway and having holes, said casing having a transparent panel overlying the fairway, and a way in the transparent panel intermediate of two of its opposite edges for a club shaft.

11. A golf game apparatus comprising a casing, a deck in the casing affording a fairway and having holes, said casing having a transparent panel exposing the fairway, and a way for a club shaft, said Way being of such width as to prevent the club from being removed from the casing.

12. A golf game apparatus comprising a casing, a deck in the casing affording a fairway and having holes, said casing having a transparent. panel exposing the fairway. a way for a club shaft, and rings of relatively coarse material surrounding the holes.

13. A golf game apparatus comprising a casing, a deck in the casing affording a fairway and havingholes, said casing having a transparent panel exposing the fairway, a way for a club shaft, a felt-like material covering the fairway, and rings of relatively coarse sandpaper surrounding the holes.

14. A game apparatus comprising a casing, a deck in the casing, said casing having a transparent panel overlying the deck, and a way in the transparent panel intermediate of two of its opposite edges for a club shaft.

. 15. The structure defined in claim 14 in which the way is of such width as to prevent the club from being removed from the casing.

16. A game apparatus comprising a deck having holes for the passage of balls therethrough, gate mechanism normally closing the holes to the passage of balls therethrough FRANK RENTZ.

therein, and means to release the held to pass through the 

